New Forest owner needs promotion challenge to win over fans

Nottingham Forest fans will hope to see their club challenge at the top end of the Sky Bet Championship table rather than at the wrong end of the division after Greek shipowner Evangelos Marinakis completed his takeover of the club.

The Reds fans witnessed more low points than positives during previous owner Fawaz Al-Hasawi’s reign at The City Ground but the club are set for a new dawn under the ownership of Marinakis, the 49-year-old founder and chairman of Capital Maritime & Trading Corp.

After watching too many false dawns at Forest in recent seasons, the fans cannot be blamed for being cautious of the impact set to be made by the club’s new owner but success on the pitch leading to a push for the top six next season would really win Marinakis the trust of the club’s long suffering supporters.

Nottingham Forest last played in the Premier League in 1999 with the club finishing bottom of the table that season. The Reds have failed to win promotion back to the top flight in 14 attempts while they have spent three seasons playing in the third tier.

The East Midlands club have featured in the Sky Bet Championship Play-Offs on three occasions but failed to secure their Premier League return and The Reds fans will hope that their latest owner can bring the good times back to The City Ground.

About Author

I am Dan Pentland and I am a York City season ticket holder and volunteer for men's health charity Prostate Cancer UK. In May 2015, I completed my childhood dream of visiting all 92 Football League grounds. Follow me on Twitter @DanPentlandpcuk and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/dpentlandawaydayspcuk/